In the past, the Mark Levinson Nº26 and Nº26S preamplifiers offered a single gain adjustment to effect this change globally; now this setting can be optimized for each individual input. This helps to make the Nº383 behave as though each input had the preamplifier section of the integrated amplifier �all to itself.� With some non-standard sources having outputs as high as 9 volts, the last thing you need is gain in the line stages of the preamplifier. On the other hand, an unusually low output source might need as much as eighteen decibels of gain in order to drive the power amplifier section to full power. Being able to customize this setting by input gives you the flexibility you need to fully optimize your system. The factory settings for gain are usually fine, at +6 dB for balanced and +12 dB for single-ended inputs. However, should you hear distortion (indicating an overly high input signal), you may want to reduce the gain on that input by 6 dB or more. To do so, navigate to the Gain= item under the input in question. (See the menu system on page 29.) Then press enter to edit the item, and adjust it using the volume knob (or use the volume buttons on the remote). You will hear the changes of 6 decibels per step. Save the change by pressing enter. (For more detailed information on how to navigate to this item, see the point-by-point description under chang32 ing input names.)
Similarly, if you have an unusually quiet source, try adding additional gain before trimming the volume with the input offset adjustment. Otherwise, you may find that you cannot turn up the quiet source as far as it needs to go.
setting input offsets
Once you are satisfied that the gain settings are appropriate to your source components (and remember, the factory defaults are usually fine), you may also adjust for any small differences between the volumes of various sources by programming in a volume offset. For example, if you notice that your tuner seems several decibels louder than all your other source components, you can have the Nº383 automatically turn the volume down by a certain amount when you switch to the tuner. (It will also turn the volume back up by the same amount when leaving that input.) To set the input offset, navigate to the Offset= item in the menu (see page 29), press enter to edit the item, and make the change with the volume knob (or use the volume buttons on the remote). You can listen to the changes as they are being made, making it easier to get the setting you want. For more detailed information on how to navigate to
